There has been an improvement in radar and infrared detection of military targets. In consideration of the advances in modern warfare technology, a variety of missiles have been developed and deployed which employ sensing means to determine the position and structure of potential targets. Examples of such missiles include the "Sidewinder" heat seeking missile, and the "Exocet" a radar guided missile.
In order to counter the aforementioned prior art practice was to use various decoy means which burn or otherwise emit infrared (thermal) radiation to provide a suitable positional and structural perception of the intended target. Decoys if physically and spectrally configured properly will provide a means for aircraft, land-based vehicles, or ships to elude infrared or radar-guided weapons.
Prior art decoys frequently used weapon systems that employed hydrocarbon jells, flare or pyrotechnic compositions to produce a thermal decoy signature to attract the heat seeking weapon away from the real intended target. For decoys against radar guided weapons prior art decoys use metal-coated gas inflated objects.
The problem with the old decoy systems is that modern, infrared detection means have become so accurate and their resolution of target characteristics so improved that they are able to differentiate the prior art decoys from the desired target. Many currently deployed guided weapons can differentiate a one percent change in temperature and thus can accurately differentiate such decoy means from the temperature and size profiles of the actual target. The improved weapons can determine whether it is a jet engine, missile exhaust, or a tank and its occupants. In many missile systems, the algorithm in the target-seeking apparatus of the projectile is sophisticated enough to "look" for thermal gradients in an engine block or exhaust system and thus are not confused by prior art infrared decoy display.
The problem with prior art decoys is that they do not satisfy the need for a rapidly deployable simulation decoy which can accurately mimic the thermal profile and/or radar signature of the intended target and deceive the aforementioned high resolution infrared and radar seeking capabilities of current systems.